The beneficial effects of nanoparticles loaded with plant essential oils on growth performance, immunity, health status, and bacterial pathogens in sustainable fish farming: a comprehensive review

Abstract

Nanotechnology is a promising strategy for enhancing the efficacy of nerolidol. Recent nutritional approaches focus on using nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with herbal essential oils (EOs) to enhance growth, immunity, and overall physiology in fish species; accordingly, the benefits of encapsulated EOs as dietary supplements have been reported in cultured aquatic animals. There is growing interest in functional nanoparticles due to their versatile properties and size, which enable targeted administration and controlled release of bioactive substances from plant essential oils. The antibacterial and antioxidant properties of encapsulated EOs, along with their role in promoting intestinal health, have also attracted increased interest in fish production because of their potent efficacy against susceptible bacterial fish pathogens, their nutritive value in improving fish growth and feed utilization, and their role as modulators of the gut bacterial community. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the use of plant EOs-loaded nanoparticles as fish dietary additives. However, several challenges must be addressed to fully unravel their potential dosages to sustain fish health and performance under environmental stressors. Additionally, most encapsulation techniques are emerging approaches for controlling EO stability and release in aquatic feeds. However, further research is needed to refine these approaches and evaluate their scalability. This review also aims to examine emerging trends in the application of nanotechnology to enhance the efficacy of herbal essential oils for controlling bacterial infections in cultured fish species. This is related to their potential efficiency against susceptible, multidrug-resistant, and biofilm-embedded microorganisms. A key feature of this review is the systematic presentation of detailed, species-specific tables summarizing the current literature on the application of essential oils encapsulated with nanoparticles in aquaculture.